


us

by soulofme



Series: sheith sentence prompts [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Delinquent Keith, High School, Jock shiro, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Secret Relationship, but he’s trying his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-30 02:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15087203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulofme/pseuds/soulofme
Summary: “What are you scared of?”“Shiro,” Keith stops, chokes on his words, and has to look away from Shiro’s disgustingly encouraging expression. “I’m…I’m afraid you’ll leave, okay? I’m afraid that it’ll be too hard for you and you’ll give up on us. On…me.”





	us

**Author's Note:**

> [sentence prompt](http://stefansalfatore.tumblr.com/post/144981395239/sentence-prompts) #20: let’s run. together.

Takashi Shirogane is the kind of guy who makes himself known.

Student council, literature club, and just to make sure he’s really well-rounded, captain of the football team. You can’t go two steps without hearing his name. He’s a parent’s dream, with his impeccable manners and generous heart. Teachers love him because he’s a diligent student with a strong moral code. Kids love him either because he’s ridiculously chill or ridiculously handsome.

Keith, unfortunately, falls into both categories. It’s a miserable existence, really, but at least it means Takashi Shirogane’s the guy he’s sucking face with behind the bleachers. They’re not intentionally keeping whatever they have a secret. It just works out that way.

He’s fine with it, actually. It wouldn’t do for the school’s resident angel to be present with the devil incarnate. Keith doesn’t really think of himself as Satan spawn, but if that’s what it takes to get people to stay far away he’ll roll with it.

Sighing to himself, Keith presses his back against the metal bleachers behind him. It’s hot as balls outside, especially where he’s standing. He had to abandoned his well-loved leather jacket because it was just too fucking _much_. Now if Shiro would just hurry his—

“Sorry I’m late!”

Damn it. Keith loves this man.

“It’s cool,” Keith says, and pretends that a bead of sweat isn’t steadily rolling down the nape of his neck.

He’s about to go in for the kill, which, honestly, it’s fine. He’s been waiting for this all day, damn it. He’s entitled to a make-out sesh with his boyfriend. But…

Shiro looks like someone killed his nonexistent puppy. Keith works his jaw hard once. He’s not good at all of this emotion crap. Shiro’s been trying to work on him with that, but they haven’t made any progress. Keith’s not too torn up about it, usually, but some crazy part of him is suddenly desperate to fix Shiro.

“You look kinda mopey today,” he ventures to say. Shiro blinks rapidly.

“Do I?” he asks, adorably confused. Keith’s not convinced.

“Yeah, like _really_ mopey.”

“That’s…” Shiro swallows hard enough that Keith can see his Adam’s apple bob. He narrows his eyes and waits for him to finish. “I’m fine, Keith.”

“You’re a shitty liar.”

The bridge of Shiro’s nose goes red. It complements the sunburn he got from football practice earlier in the week. Keith feels his eye twitch in annoyance and prays to God that he doesn’t explode. Poor, mopey Shiro doesn’t deserve that. Keith’s supposed to be gentle and supportive, not a firecracker poorly contained in a closed-lid pot.

So he squares his shoulders and refrains from crossing his arms. He’s got this. Keith Kogane isn’t about to be bested by some fucking emotions.

“Takashi.”

There are rare instances where Keith first-names Shiro. Usually it’s more of the, er, _dirty_ sense. But sometimes, he pulls that little card when Shiro’s acting like a complete and utter fool. 

Like at this very moment.

“Keith,” Shiro bites back.

Childish.

He’s so goddamn _childish_.

“Fine, don’t tell me,” Keith says, making a big show of brushing imaginary dirt off of his sleeve. “It’s not like I’m worried about you or anything.”

He hears Shiro make a tiny strangled noise in the back of his throat and chances a sideways glance at him. He looks guilty, which isn’t exactly what Keith was going for, but he’ll take it.

“I just…” Shiro starts. His mouth flaps open and closed like a fish and Keith feels his frustration coming to a slow and steady boil. “I hate this.”

For a second, Keith wonders if Shiro has just sucker punched him in the gut. That’s what it feels like, anyway, until Keith really lets the words simmer. Shiro hates this. He feels something get lodged in his throat—and whoa, are those fucking tears?

“You hate this,” he echoes. His voice sounds hollow and distant, even to himself.

“What?” Shiro whispers to himself, eyebrows furrowed, but then his eyes widen and he rushes towards Keith. “Shit, no. Baby, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” Keith sounds like a petulant child.

He doesn’t give a flying fuck.

“I hate hiding you,” Shiro confesses.

Keith doesn’t want to admit that the words practically make him melt. But damn it, they do. He feels his jaw drop on its own accord and doesn’t try to hide his surprise. Shiro’s looking at him with this completely wounded expression, and Keith feels like he’s going to lose it all over again.

“We talked about this already,” he says, instead of something more…gentle? Nice? Whatever. “People will flip. I don’t want all of the attention.”

“I know,” Shiro says. “And I respect that, really. But I know you don’t care what they think.”

“Then you know me well,” Keith says, getting a vague idea of what Shiro’s getting at. He refuses to hear this lecture right now. He’d _literally_ rather be doing anything else.

“And I also know that you’re worried about me.” And there it is. The actual sucker punch. Any mushy feelings Keith had are now gone, murdered by Shiro and his inability to just let things fucking go. “But I don’t care either. I’m with you.”

“Shiro,” Keith’s mind works on overdrive as he comes up with a response. “No one even knows you’re gay. It’s…it’s not gonna be that easy.”

“What comes easy may not last long, but what lasts long won’t come easy.”

“Alright, dork, what fortune cookie did you steal that from?” Keith snorts. Shiro grins easily at him and wraps his arms around his waist.

“Okay, then what about this?” His eyes are practically sparkling. “Let’s run. Together.”

“Are you high?” Keith asks instantly. “Because my Shiro would never say that.”

Shiro rolls his eyes but doesn’t stop smiling. “I’m not high.”

“Coulda fooled me.”

“What are you scared of?” Shiro’s voice is quieter now, all traces of humor gone.

Keith swallows hard. It’s a loaded question and he feels like Shiro knows that. In theory, he shouldn’t be afraid at all.

But there’s this overwhelmingly large part of him that feels like all of this will disappear once things get a little bit difficult. Keith knows it’s not fair for him to think that Shiro will just give up on him like that, but he’s kinda used to being left behind.

He knows that he won’t be able to handle it if Shiro leaves too.

“Shiro,” Keith stops, chokes on his words, and has to look away from Shiro’s disgustingly encouraging expression. “I’m…I’m afraid you’ll leave, okay? I’m afraid that it’ll be too hard for you and you’ll give up on us. On…me.”

By the time he finishes, his voice is barely over a whisper. He tries to wiggle out of Shiro’s arms, thoroughly embarrassed, but Shiro’s got a death grip on him.

“Baby,” Shiro says, and fuck, why does he do this? “I’m never going to give up on you. I’m never going to give up on us. Fuck, you mean the world to me. I’d be a goddamn idiot to lose you.”

“You are kind of stupid sometimes,” Keith mutters.

“Keith,” Shiro’s voice is playfully firm. Keith cracks a smile. Tiny, though, because he’s still feeling emotional as hell. “It’s up to you. We’ll do whatever you want.”

“I trust you,” Keith says. It’s the most honest thing he’s said in a long time, to anyone, and he feels…good?

“Okay,” Shiro breathes out. He presses a soft kiss against Keith’s cheek before he pulls himself close. “God, I love you.”

Keith chokes on his saliva.

“Dude!” he hisses, shoving hard at Shiro’s shoulder. “You can’t just say that!”

“Sorry,” Shiro says. He doesn’t sound genuine at all.

“You’re insufferable,” Keith snaps. He crosses his arms and turns his face away when Shiro tries to kiss him.

“Baby,” Shiro coaxes. Keith feels his shoulders slump in defeat. “I mean it. No matter what anyone says, that’ll always be true.”

“…I believe you,” Keith says, and it feels right on the edge of too vulnerable.

But then Shiro smiles like he’s the sun itself, and Keith realizes that it’s fucking worth it.


End file.
